Chisinau, February 8, 2008—Nearly 14,000 socially vulnerable households from the Republic of Moldova affected by the drought last summer benefited from fodder thanks to the financial contribution of the European Commission through its Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) and other donors. In the coming weeks, another 6,000 socially vulnerable households will receive fodder, out of which 4,224 from the Transnistrian region. A total of nearly 9,000 tons of livestock fodder will be distributed.
The European Commission through its Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) provided 3 million Euro (48,723,404 Moldovan Lei) to the Republic of Moldova to alleviate the consequences of the drought in the framework of the UN project „Relief and Technical Assistance Response to the Drought in Moldova”.
“We have granted this donation to the most vulnerable farmers from the Republic of Moldova who have a dairy cow so as to help them to overcome the consequences of the drought that has affected them seriously during the last summer. Distributing fodder to about 20 thousand farming households from the Republic, we wanted to help them to keep the cattle that provide their only source of food security. This is an important sign of our continuous commitment to help Moldova, and more specifically Moldovan population, targeting the poorest and those who are most in need", said Ambassador Cesare De Montis, Head of the European Commission Delegation to Moldova.
Fodder is being distributed in 17 rayons most affected by the drought. The quantity of fodder distributed to each family is sufficient to feed a cow for 80 days and will, therefore, ensure preserving livestock in the most vulnerable households in the country. Beneficiaries were selected in cooperation with local and regional public authorities and include families possessing a milking cow and follow the vulnerability criteria. A delegation of ECHO is on mission to Moldova these days to monitor the distribution of fodder.
The UN project „Relief and Technical Assistance Response to the Drought in Moldova” was launched last September and will be implemented during a period of six months with a total available budget of approximately 8.5 million USD.
In addition to the financial assistance provided by the European Commission through its Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Government of Norway, the Government of Italy, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have also contributed with funds.
The project is managed by the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Population Fund, the United Nations Children Fund, other UN agencies and the Government of the Republic of Moldova as well as non-governmental organizations and local public authorities which are implementing partners of the project.
More information about the UN response to the drought
For more information, please contact: Natalia Costas, Communication Consultant, tel. (+373 22) 21 07 24, GSM: 069221141; e-mail: natalia.costas@un.md |
